Tractor



F. 1. mc s. TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED APR- l2. R919- 1,367,317. Patented M1, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

FRANK J HICKS 6 INVENTOR ms ATTCRNEYS F. J. HICKS. TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED AFR-'12, I919. 1,367,317. I Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FRANK JHICKS INVENTOR H| ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PAMT-ENT OFFICE.

FRANK hr. rncxs, or ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOB r THE HICKS TRACTOR courm, or ELYBIA, OHIO, A. CORPORATION or cure.

TRACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed April 12, 1919. Serial No. 289,642.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tractors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tractors, audit is one of the objects to produce a type of tractor that occupies minimum space and combines simplicity of construction with maximum tractive effort. More specific objects will appear in the following description, reference being had to the drawings, in which I f Figure 1 is an elevation of the tractor. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the tractor shown in Fig. 1. l

Fig.3 is a view of a section taken along the lines A--A of Fig. 2.

Fi a is a section taken along the line as of Fig. 1. L p

Fig. is a perspective view of a portion of the steering apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a viewof su Jport. e

eferring to the drawin s, my improved. tractor consists of asuitab e frame portion 1. carrying an engine 2 of any desired type. The frame is suspended. or secured to the transverse rods or beams 3 and l by any a modified 1 0.... of

suitable means, and the rods are secured at their ends in bearing members 5 and 6 tln'ough devices, such as clamps 7. The bearing members 5 on each side have raceways or bearing surfaces 8 and 9 adapted to cooperate with the bearing members 10 and 11 on tractor wheel frames 12 and 13. Vanous bearing arrangements may be provided, but I have shown rollers 1 1 between the members 8 and 10 and 9 and 11. i

The wheel members 12and 13 are recessed to receive retaining caps 15, which are held to the bearing member 5 by suitablescrews. A loose fit is maintained between the circu] a1" caps 15 and the wheel members 12 and 13, so that there will-be no contact between them. Each of the main drive wheels ofthe tractor has a plurality of links or levers 1,6.

' 7 securedthereto by suitable bolts 18workingin slots 19 in the wheel members. The outer end of each pair of cooperating links 16, 17 is pivotally secured in a shoe or ground-gripping member 20, by means of a cross rod 21, which passes through ears 22 on the member and through the end of the link 16. a If desired, the bottom portion of the member 20 may be provided with suitable cross bars, such as 23, to give firm gripping action with the ground. However, the bottom surface 01 the member 20 may be made smooth, or of any other character, depending upon circumstances. Each pair of links 16 and 17 is connected by tie bars 24 and cross'rods 23' with adjacent pairs of links, in such a way that allof the links 16 y and 17 around the entire wheel are connected together near their outer ends by bars 24.

While I have shown only five pairs of: links 16, 17 in Figs. 1 and 3,it will be under stood that the entire wheel is supplied with these. In the drawing I have provided sixteen pairs of slots 19 to accommodate sixteen ground-gripping devices, but it will be understood that any number greater or less than this maybe used, when desired. The

cross rod 23 also carries rails 25, 26,so that all of the pairs of links 16, 17 aroundthe wheel are joined together. by rails or bars capable of receiving the entireweight of the machine which through suitable rollers 27 28, 2 9 ,and 30, the rollers 28 and 29 being shown of reduced size to permit closerspacing, These rollers are securedto supporting members 31 and is transmitted to them 32,. which may. be made'integral with the bearing member 5, or secured thereto by means of appropr ate screws.

The tractor. is preferably arrangedin regard to the position of cross rods 3 and 4,

so that the weight normallyltendsfto rotate the left-hand end of the engine downwardly, as shown Fig.1. To maintain the engine in stable position, suitable trailer wheels 33 may be arranged in frame 3 1, adaptedto swivel or rotate in the bearingmemberga on the engineframe, as shown, I also pivot the side members 36, 37 to the swivel frame Mby means of a suitable pin or rod 37' to permit the raising of the trailer wheels to the position shown in dotted lines for the insertion of a drag bar 38, which may connect the tractorto certain-types of devices being hauled thereby. For this purpose, thedrag bar 38 maybe passed undenthe pinj39 of the trailer wheels to hold them in 1 elevated position. The drag bar mayhm any i in detail.

means for securing it to the engine frame, such as a U bolt 39 fitting over pm 39, for ihstance.

the main axis, so that the trailer wheels may be raised out of operative position, as shown in'dotted lines. 7

'The wheel members 12 and 13 on'cach side ofthe tractor are caused to rotate by means of suitable gear arrangement 10, 41 on the members l8-and the drive axle 42, respectively, The. axle 42 may be inclosed in a,suitab1e. axle housing 13, and may be connected tothe propeller shaft H of the engine-by a. suitabledifferential, as will be well understood. The details of the engine drive,.per 8e, form no part of this invention, and, therefore, theyneednot be referred to The-rear. axle 42 of the tractor is'secured to a: suitable brakesdrum 45 adapted to cooperate with any desired form of brake,

' such,as.nonsrevoluble shoes 46, 17, to brake andlretard therotation of the axles. The retarding of the axlesis not for the purpose. ofslowing, down the: movement of the tractoigbntris for the purpose of steering. Ifa rranged:to.=brake either one axle or the other-,.so'as .to retard themovement of either Wheel, which, will, therefore, at the same time, cause. the speeding up of'the opposite Wheel; through I the differential connection, as is, ell known, and this will produce different. speeds. of rotation. of the side Wheels. Thisnecessarily will produce the turningofthe tractor in one direction or the other,depending lipon which wheel is caused to. rotatafaster than theother.

Itproduceltlie.noyel form of steering by meansofa brake axle48 connected up to a, hand-controlleddevice,.such as a steering ShaftHLQ by meanS of asuitablc link 50 and VWorm and gear arrangement 51. The braking axle 48.11asoppositely positioned cams 52, 53,.so,. that,,when. the steering Wheel 54 is rotatedin one direction, onefof the brakes, say that, ,on th'e j left, isput. into action by means o'f the cam 52,wvhi-le the other brake is unapplieda By an. opposite rotation of the steering. Whfeelfflf, the righl ehand brake would'be applied by the cam and the left-hand brake P would be out of action. Therefore, by. rotating-the steeringwheel either to therightjon to 'the left, the tractor maybe causedto move to the ;right or to the leftbyymeans of the.loraking action.

' Ingtliej operationof, my improved tractor th' eng'inema-y be. startedby the usual crank 55 ,101; by any. other means, and the driven-who sitin a seat 56; willmanipu'latethe" gas?- and' spark levers in the usualway," andjsteer, thet ractort0 the right orjthe leffiby the manipulation of the steering wheel 5't As the, wheels rotate, the g 'ou'n :lf;shoes;2,0 come successively into. con- It will-be apparent that the drag bar prevents the tractor from rocking about tact with the ground and as soon as this takes place, the bars 25 and 20 pass under the rollers 27 to 80, inclusive and the weight of the tractor is transmitted to the ground through 16, 17, cross pins 23, bars 25, 2(3 and the rollers referred to through the supporting frames 32 and 31 connected to the bearing members 5. It will thus be seen that the Wheel members 12 and 13 do not contarl with the ground.

It is desirable to have a plurality of SlHH members 20 in contact with the ground at the same time, and I. therefore. provide for the movement of the upper end of the links 16 and 17 with respect to the wheel members 12 and 13. This is produced by means of the slots 19, which cooperate with the pins 18 in such a way that the weight of the tractor brought to bear on the links 10 and 17 as they approach the center line 13-13 of Fig. 1 tends to force the pins 18 toward the inside end of, slots 19. This consequently permits the foremost shoe 20 to gradually approach the circumference of the wheel members 12 and 13 until finally in the centerposition the pin has traveled to the inner end of the slot. As the shoe travels to the rear. with respect to the tractor, the weight of the latter tends to force" the inner end ot links 10 and 17 outwardly, so that. the pins 18 travel to the outer end of the slots. The shoes, therefore, are permitted to remain in contact with the ground during the time the pins 18 travel from the outer end of the slot .19 toward the inner end and ba k again to the outer end. This provides-for the conta t of at least three shoes with the ground during any one instant. Obviously by suitable arrangement of parts any number greater or less than this could be arranged to contact with the ground at any one instant.

Instead of having the wheels on the. frame members 31and32, I may provide a reverse arrangement, as is shown in Fig. 6. In this figure I have'placed .the wheels 56 on pins 23, and the bar 57 on the frame members 82. The details of this modification will be apparent without further illustration or description than given in connection with Fig. 6.

It will be apparent that my improved form oftractor Wheel may he used onothcr forms of tractors than that specifically disclosed, herein, and that I may use various forms, ofstcering devices other than that illustrated and described. Also, Imay use the specific formof steering device without combiningit with the form of tractor wheel disclosed. inthis application, as itv is capable offuse with many other forms of wheels. It will further be apparent that many modifications may be made in the improvement, and my invention. is not to be limited to the exact form disclosed.

the shoes 20, the supporting links ill) Having described my invention, what 1 claim is:

1. In automotive tractors, a chassis, drive wheel members on each side of the chassis, a plurality of links having a sliding connection with said members, shoes pivoted to the links, supporting standards extending from the chassis toward the bottom of each wheel member and roller bearing means between the standards and said shoes to carry the weight of the tractor and to maintain a plu rality of shoes substantially in the same plane and in contact with the ground.

2. In automotive tractors, a chassis, drive wheel members on each side of said chassis.

a plurality of shoes, links pivoted to the shoes at one end and at the other end hav ing pins adapted to slide in grooves in the wheel members, tie-bars jolnin all the links together circumferentially or the Wheel members, supporting. standards on the chassis and roller bearing means between the standards and the shoes to transmit the weight of the tractor to said shoes.

3. In automotive tractors, a chassis, drive wheel members on each side of said chassis, a plurality oi shoes, links pivoted to the shoes at one end and at the other end having pins adapted to slide in grooves in the wheel. members, tie-bars joining all the wheels together circumferentia-lly of the wheel members, supporting standards on the chassis, rollers on said standards, rails secured to said shoes and adapted to come in contact with said rollers when the shoes come in contact with the ground.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 10 day of April, 1919.

FRANK .LHIoKs. 

